It's that time of year again. The desperate rush to find the 'perfect' tree for your annual year-end celebration is very real. Unfortunately, you chose a tree last year that died within a month and was disappointingly dull. This year, follow Dr. Lawson's tips to find the best Christmas tree!

Bob Nielsen, Purdue Extension corn specialist, says he has never seen a growing season get off to such an uneven start as this one. Heavy rains in April and May delayed planting and left standing water in many parts of Indiana while other areas baked in unusually hot and dry conditions.

Purdue Extension disaster specialist Abby Hostetler is urging Hoosier property owners and others who might have suffered damage from the recent heavy rains and flooding to file a report with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

Wet weather this spring has delayed the hay harvest throughout Indiana, raising concerns about feed quality and safe storage. Keith Johnson, professor of agronomy and Purdue Extension forage specialist, said forage becomes less digestible and palatable for livestock the longer it stays in the field.

Although two weeks of occasionally heavy rain and some unseasonably cold temperatures slowed planting progress and threatened newly emerging plants throughout Indiana, Purdue Extension corn specialist Bob Nielsen said there is still time to have a good grain crop if, as expected, weather conditions improved. The key, Nielsen said, is careful crop management.

After two months of unusually warm conditions throughout Indiana, state climatologists based at Purdue University believe temperatures will slowly return to seasonal norms over the next month, which is good news for fruit growers and home gardeners concerned that their plants might be emerging too quickly.

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